David Gray Music

Re: Force of Nature Lyrics

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 12:10:37 GMT

Oh wow! Gorgeous poem, and, after reading it, I'd be very surprised if DG hadn't been inspired by it. Thank you for sharing it. I can't believe I wasn't familiar with it.

Excellent first post! Welcome to the boards!

Re: Force of Nature Lyrics

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 11:40:26 GMT

First time posting... I guess I'm not as big of a DG fan as I like to think, since I only heard this song last night for the first time! Anyhow, it's an absolutely beautiful song, and I especially like the last verse:

Took a walk along the path as the new year turned

Trees were looming ghostly, grass was dead and burned

clinging to the undergrowth above the wintry earth

A little bird was singing out for all its heart was worth

When I first heard these lines I immediately thought of Thomas Hardy's The Darkling Thrush. Something magical about these English poets! Anyhow, I've added the poem at the end of this post. Anyone think it was an intentional nod to Hardy, or just similar sounding imagery?

I leant upon a coppice gate

When Frost was spectre-grey,

And Winter's dregs made desolate

The weakening eye of day.

The tangled bine-stems scored the sky

Like strings of broken lyres,

And all mankind that haunted nigh

Had sought their household fires.

The land's sharp features seemed to be

The Century's corpse outleant,

His crypt the cloudy canopy,

The wind his death-lament.

The ancient pulse of germ and birth

Was shrunken hard and dry,

And every spirit upon earth

Seemed fervourless as I.

At once a voice arose among

The bleak twigs overhead

In a full-hearted evensong

Of joy illimited;

An aged thrush, frail, gaunt, and small,

In blast-beruffled plume,

Had chosen thus to fling his soul

Upon the growing gloom.

So little cause for carolings

Of such ecstatic sound

Was written on terrestrial things

Afar or nigh around,

That I could think there trembled through

His happy good-night air

Some blessed Hope, whereof he knew

And I was unaware.

Re: Force of Nature Lyrics

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 13:05:44 GMT

Yes! I hear that too. I made the edits to the lyrics above. I can't get enough of this song!

Re: Force of Nature Lyrics

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 17:41:09 GMT

Elysium:
I hear it never rains too.
Funny I think I hear David singing "Chasing love in circles on the first and third chorus then "Tracing love in circles on the 2cnd and 4th, unless I'm going crazy, lol(thats debatable).

I think you are spot on Elysium, exactly what I hear too but then again just like Tony I am not a native speaker

And indeed a big thank you to ropreston (forgot your first name) for posting the initial lyrics, a very good starting point !

Take care !

Marcel.

Re: Force of Nature Lyrics

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 21:52:44 GMT

Absolutely loving this new song, so excited about the upcoming album if the other tracks are anywhere near as good as this gem.

I played the video to my daughter who is partially deaf and very good at lip reading and asked her if he was singing "chasing" or "tracing" and she said exactly as I said above, only without any hesitation at all, I had to replay the video quite a few times to be sure, lol.

Re: Force of Nature Lyrics

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 21:26:04 GMT

A big thanks on the effort for posting the lyrics.

Aw I absolutely love this new song, its my total fave out of the three, seriously cant stop listening to it. I'm gonna totally melt when I hear this live.

I hear it never rains too.

Funny I think I hear David singing "Chasing love in circles on the first and third chorus then "Tracing love in circles on the 2cnd and 4th, unless I'm going crazy, lol(thats debatable).

Re: Force of Nature Lyrics

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 14:42:18 GMT

hey, thanks for your effort on the lyrics.

Re: Force of Nature Lyrics

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 14:15:49 GMT

Hmmm, now I'm hearing that too. I was thinking the circles never end as you trace them around, but now I'm thinking that it never rains to wash away the dust. Interesting.

Re: Force of Nature Lyrics

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 10:56:40 GMT

i hear 'it never rains' instead 'it never ends'...

though i'm not a native speaker so i might be wrong.

Force of Nature Lyrics

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 22:55:17 GMT

My attempt at these lyrics, as sung at Sundance. Feel free to correct anything I've gotten wrong!

All the force of nature coursing through the stems

Every broken creature crawling through my limbs

Pull the floor from under me, stare into the depths

Started mumbling something underneath my breath

Bright eyes and miracles

Chasing* love in circles through the dust

Rolling on ad nauseum, grist into the mill

Till you just can't take it and your darkness spills

Like some busted water main out into the street

All the crowd indifferent, hastening their feet

Bright eyes and miracles

Tracing love in circles through the dust

It never rains*

Took a walk along the path as the new year turned

Trees were looming ghostly, grass was dead and burned

Clinging to the undergrowth above the wintry earth

A little bird was singing out for all its heart was worth

Bright eyes and miracles

Chasing* love in circles

Bright eyes and miracles

Tracing loves in circles through the dust

Yeah

Tracing loves in circles through the dust.